South Carolina 09/02/16 cnn.com: by Sandee LaMotte – The pictures are heartbreaking: Millions of honeybees lie dead after being sprayed with an insecticide targeting Zika-carryingmosquitoes. “On Saturday, it was total energy, millions of bees foraging, pollinating, making honey for winter,” beekeeper Juanita Stanley said. “Today, it stinks of death. Maggots and other insects are feeding on the honey and the baby bees who are still in the hives. It’s heartbreaking.” Stanley, co-owner of Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply in Summerville, South Carolina, said she lost 46 beehives — more than 3 million bees — in mere minutes after the spraying began Sunday morning. “Those that didn’t die immediately were poisoned trying to drag out the dead,” Stanley said. “Now, I’m going to have to destroy my hives, the honey, all my equipment. It’s all contaminated.” Stanley said Summerville Fire Capt. Andrew Macke, who keeps bees as a hobby, also lost thousands of bees. She said neither of them had protected their hives because they didn’t know about the aerial spraying.

“Andrew has two hives,” Stanley said. “He didn’t know they were going to spray. His wife called him. His bees are at their porch right by their home, and she saw dead bees everywhere.” It’s a tragedy that could be repeated across the country as cases of Zika continue to rise and local mosquito control districts struggle to protect their residents and ease local fears. The spray fell from the skies between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Sunday. It was the first aerial spraying in 14 years, according to Dorchester County Administrator Jason Ward, part of the county’s efforts to combat Zika after four local residents were diagnosed with the virus. “We chose Sunday morning because few people would be out and about that early on a weekend,” Ward said. “To protect the bees, you don’t want to spray after the sun has been up more two hours, so we scheduled it early.”

The county used a product called Trumpet, which contains the pesticide naled, recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for control of adult Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits Zika. According to the manufacturer’s label (PDF), Trumpet is “highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment on blooming crops or weeds. To minimize hazard to bees, it is recommended that the product is not applied more than two hours after sunrise or two hours before sunset, limiting application to times when bees are least active.” “We followed that recommendation,” said Ward, “which is also the policy laid out by the state, using a pesticide the state has approved for use.” Ward says the county also notified residents of the spraying by posting a notice on its websiteat 9 a.m. Friday, two days before the spraying. He added that it alerted beekeepers who were on the local mosquito control registry by phone or email, a common practice before truck spraying. – For complete article and video see http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/health/zika-spraying-honeybees/index.html

Nevada 09/02/16 ktnv.com: The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting the second human case of St. Louis Encephalitis in Clark County. The individual is male, 50 years of age or older, and did not have the more serious neuroinvasive form of the disease. The Health District will not be providing additional details regarding this individual. – See http://www.ktnv.com/news/health-district-reports-second-st-louis-encephalitis-case

West Nile Virus (WNV):

Mississippi 09/01/16 djournal.com: The Mississippi State Department of Health says a Hinds County resident has died from the West Nile virus. It’s the first human death of 2016. In addition to the Hinds County death, state Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said two new human cases of West Nile have been reported in Lee and Marion counties, bringing the 2016 total to 18 in Mississippi. So far this year, human cases of West Nile have been reported in Calhoun, Chickasaw, Copiah (2), Hinds (5), Grenada, Lamar (2), Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Marion, Perry and Rankin counties. – See https://djournal.com/news/health-official-1st-west-nile-virus-death-reported-mississippi/

Texas 09/02/16 mycentx.com: by Roland Richter – The Waco McLennan County Public Health District has confirmed one person has died after contracting West Nile Virus. Officials are only saying the victim was a male patient, but are not releasing any other details about the victim because of privacy considerations. There have been a total of five cases of West Nile Virus reported in the county. – For complete article see http://www.mycentx.com/news/waco-news/west-nile-virus-death-in-mclennan-county

Montana 08/29/16 dailyinterlake.com: by Sam Wilson – An off-duty employee of Glacier National Park was injured by a bear Saturday evening on the east side of Glacier, according to a park spokesman. Public information officer Tim Rains said the employee was picking berries a quarter mile off the trail near Red Rock Falls in the Many Glacier area when she surprised the bear, believed to be a grizzly sow. He declined to name the employee, but said the bear injured her leg and hands. The injuries are not life-threatening. Rains said she was hiking with a companion and was carrying bear spray, but did not have an opportunity to discharge the canister.

“She walked most of the way back, and then was carried on a litter the remaining portion of the [Swiftcurrent] Trail,” Rains said. “We believe it was a grizzly — there was a sow and her cubs noticed in the area, but we do not have a definitive confirmation.” She was first taken by Glacier County EMS to Browning for medical attention before being transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where Rains said she is currently being treated for her wounds. Because the attack resulted from a surprise encounter, Rains said park officials are not actively searching for the bear. – For complete article see http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/bear-injures-glacier-park-employee/article_0ec2595a-6e16-11e6-b709-63cb5cb9d2d3.html

Ticks:

Alaska 08/27/16 adn.com/alaska-news: by Ned Rozell – While Alaskans have long endured dense mosquitoes and frigid air, we’ve always had the absence of venomous snakes and dogticks. But the latter may be establishing themselves here. Ticks that infest red squirrels, snowshoe hares and a variety of birds have always been present in Alaska, but a team of biologists and veterinarians recently found five non-native ticks on Alaska dogs and people. In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, researchers identified brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, deer ticks and Lone Star ticks in Alaska. A few of those creatures hitchhiked up on animals and humans that had recently visited the Lower 48. But some had not.

American Dog Tick

“It appears the American dog tick is established in Alaska,” said Kimberlee Beckmen, a wildlife veterinarian with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and a co-author of the study. “Some of the dogs (with the tick) had not traveled or hadn’t had contact with traveling dogs.” “That is not a good thing,” said Randy Zarnke, Beckmen’s predecessor at the Department of Fish and Game. He wrote a 1990 paper about the potential for some harmful ticks to survive our winters should they reach Alaska. “(The American dog tick) attaches to humans and can spread diseases that we haven’t had to worry about up until now.” The American dog tick can transmit the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can secrete a toxin that can cause tick paralysis in dogs and humans, said Lance Durden of Georgia Southern University, lead author on the paper. Tick paralysis can be fatal if it affects breathing muscles. – For complete article see http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2016/08/27/exotic-ticks-appear-to-be-establishing-themselves-in-alaska/

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE):

North Carolina 08/26/16 wect.com: Seven horses and one human have been infected with mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis this summer in North Carolina. The disease, also known as EEE or ‘Triple E,’ can cause inflammation of the brain. There is a vaccine for horses, but there is none for humans. State Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health officials noted there was a single case affecting a human reported in North Carolina. Cases affecting horses were reported in Brunswick, Hoke, Onslow, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson and Wake counties. “Triple E is not communicable between horses and people,” said State Public Health Veterinarian Carl Williams, DVM. “It is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. While Triple E is very rare in humans, when it does occur it is a serious illness, so it is very important to take protective measures against mosquito bites.” Symptoms for EEE in humans may include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, and sore throat. Those at highest risk live in or visit woodland habitats. – See http://www.wect.com/story/32851133/mosquito-borne-virus-infects-seven-horses-one-human-in-nc

West Nile Virus (WNV):

South Dakota 08/30/16 siouxlandmatters.com: by Lukas Voss – The South Dakota Department of Health has confirmed the first death of West Nile Virus in the state in two years and this season. The individual has not been identified but placed in the age group between 80 and 89. This marks the 74th confirmed case in the state with most of them being diagnosed with the common West Nile fever, 12 percent were found to suffer from the more severe neuro invasive diseases. – For complete article see http://www.siouxlandmatters.com/news/local-news/one-dead-of-west-nile-virus-in-south-dakota

Rabies:

Florida 08/31/16 clickorlando.com: by Dawn Brooks – After a horse tested positive for rabies Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County issued a rabies alert for the Weber Road area in Malabar. Officials said all residents should be aware that rabies is present in the wild animal population and that domestic animals are at risk if not vaccinated. – See http://www.clickorlando.com/news/rabies-alert-issued-for-part-of-brevard-county

Canada:

Ontario 08/29/16 cbc.ca/news: The rabid cat found in Haldimand-Norfolk last week did in fact come from rural Ancaster, the city confirmed Monday, marking Hamilton’s first case of domestic rabies in over two decades. “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed today that this cat was infected with the raccoon rabies strain,” city spokesperson Aisling Higgins said in a statement. “During the course of the investigation fewer than five people have been identified in Hamilton as having had exposure to the rabid cat.” – For complete article see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/rabies-cat-1.3740478

Alaska 08/25/16 washingtonpost.com: A bear that mauled two cruise ship wilderness guides during a hiking excursion in Alaska attacked so quickly that there was little time to defend against the animal, the CEO of the cruise ship company said. The attack occurred after the guides and a group of hikers from the cruise vessel Wilderness Explorer rounded a “semi-blind corner” and found themselves between the bear and her cub, UnCruise Adventures CEO Dan Blanchard told the Juneau Empire in an interview published Tuesday. “I can’t express enough about how rapidly this happened,” Blanchard said. The guides are crew members of the 74-passenger vessel and receive training on bear safety and other topics each spring, he said. The Coast Guard rescued the injured guides, who were identified by Alaska state troopers as 41-year-old Anna Powers of Hawaii and 26-year-old Michael Justa of Juneau. Justa was treated and released the in Sitka. Powers was in satisfactory condition Wednesday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Aug. 18 hike in Tongass National Forest has been part of the Wilderness Explorer’s regular eight-day itinerary since the early 2000s. – For complete article see https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/cruise-line-ceo-details-alaska-bear-mauling-of-2-workers/2016/08/24/c8d5535e-6a5d-11e6-91cb-ecb5418830e9_story.html

Blogger’s Note: According to an earlier report, the guides were attacked by a Brown bear.

Zika Virus:

National 08/26/16 fda.gov: Media Release – As a further safety measure against the emerging Zika virus outbreak, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a revised guidance recommending universal testing of donated Whole Blood and blood components for Zika virus in the U.S. and its territories. “There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion.”

The FDA first issued guidance on Feb. 16 recommending that only areas with active Zika virus transmission screen donated Whole Blood and blood components for Zika virus, use pathogen-reduction devices, or halt blood collection and obtain Whole Blood and blood components from areas of the U.S. without active virus transmission. All areas with active transmission in the U.S. are currently in compliance with this guidance. The revised guidance announced today recommends that all states and U.S. territories screen individual units of donated Whole Blood and blood components with a blood screening test authorized for use by the FDA under an investigational new drug (IND) application, or a licensed test when available. Alternatively, an FDA-approved pathogen-reduction device may be used for plasma and certain platelet products.

The FDA is updating its guidance after careful consideration of all available scientific evidence, consultation with other public health agencies, and taking into consideration the potential serious health consequences of Zika virus infection to pregnant women and children born to women exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy. Testing of donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as in other areas, and it has shown to be beneficial in identifying donations infected with Zika virus. Expanded testing will continue to reduce the risk for transmission of Zika virus through the U.S. blood supply and will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced.

Florida 08/23/16 tampabay.com: by Christopher O’Donnell, Michael Auslen and Megan Reeves – Health officials on both sides of Tampa Bay are scrambling to contain a potential new outbreak of the Zika virus after the first locally transmitted infection was confirmed in Pinellas County Tuesday. The Florida Department of Health is planning to conduct door-to-door testing and outreach in the neighborhood where the infection was detected. However, officials do not plan to reveal the location unless more cases are discovered. The effort to track down people who had contact with the infected person, known as an epidemiological investigation, will also extend into Hillsborough County, officials said. Targeted mosquito spraying to limit the spread of the virus is also taking place both in Pinellas and at an undisclosed Hillsborough County location.

Gov. Rick Scott announced the new infection, the first locally transmitted case of the virus confirmed outside South Florida, at a Zika roundtable with Pinellas County health officials and political leaders Tuesday. “This person did not travel to an infected area with Zika; we are looking at a number of locations,” Scott said. “Hopefully something good will happen and it will just be a single case. But if we do find out, what we will do is we will be very aggressive.”

Ontario 08/26/16 ctvnews.ca: Health officials say an Ontario man is undergoing treatment after being bitten by a cat that tested positive for rabies. The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit says it was notified Thursday by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that a stray cat had bitten someone in Caledonia. They say they are working with Hamilton Public Health to see if anyone else was exposed to the same cat because it came from a rural part of the city.- See http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/cat-with-rabies-bites-man-in-hamilton-ont-1.304600

New Jersey 08/26/16 shorenewstoday.com: A kitten that had been taken in and cared for by a Hammonton couple has been confirmed as AtlanticCounty’s ninth rabies case of the year. The Atlantic County Division of Public Health reports that the couple’s outdoor cat brought home three kittens in June that were cared for by a couple living on Washington Street. One kitten became ill and was taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment on August 18. It displayed neurological symptoms consistent with rabies and soon died. It was confirmed positive for rabies by the state lab on August 24.- See http://www.shorenewstoday.com/mainland/hammonton-kitten-confirmed-as-th-rabies-case/article_77a95bfa-6aea-11e6-a1e3-13828b61db0f.html

Not a photo of the cat in this report.

Virginia 08/26/16 wishtv.com: by Kevin Green – A cat that reportedly chased and a bit a person in Chesapeake tested positive for rabies, health officials confirmed Thursday. Officials say a cat “aggressively chased and bit” at least one person in an industrial park in the Greenbriar section of the city. “He saw the cat and kinda dismissed it, turned around and started walking away,” Abe Rivera, who worked with the man said. “It came up behind him and bit it him on the leg.” The cat was reportedly captured and is no longer a threat, but officials say it tested positive for rabies. Officials say there are numerous feral cats and animals in the area that could have been exposed. “Those cats like go to the same food sources, they mate, they fight, so yes we are concerned about maybe more,” Lisa Engle of the Chesapeake Health Department said. – See http://wishtv.com/2016/08/25/rabid-cat-aggressively-chases-bites-person-in-virginia/

Washington 08/17/16 healio.com: In a rare case, investigators say a woman died after contracting Streptococcus zooepidemicus from a sick horse in Washington state. The woman, aged 71years, died within a week after having close contact with a horse that later tested positive for S. zooepidemicus, a subspecies of S. equi, the investigators said. “S. zooepidemicus is a zoonotic pathogen that rarely causes human illness and is usually associated with consuming unpasteurized dairy products or with direct horse contact,” they wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “In horses, S. zooepidemicus is a commensal bacterium that can cause respiratory, wound, and uterine infections.” The woman was visiting her daughter’s horse boarding and riding facility in King County, Washington, where three of the facility’s six horses later tested positive for S. zooepidemicus, including the one that infected her. The daughter also was infected by one of the horses and developed a mild sore throat and cough, but recovered. Soon after, on Feb. 29, she began administering 10 days of sulfa-based antibiotics to a horse that showed symptoms of S. zooepidemicusinfection, and the horse fully recovered. Her mother, who had symptoms consistent with an upper respiratory infection at the same time her daughter was ill, had contact with one of the horses on at least Feb. 25 and Feb. 29 and later developed vomiting and diarrhea on March 2, the investigators said. She was found unconscious the next day and died after being transported to a hospital. According to the investigators, a blood culture from the woman and throat culture from her daughter both grew isolates of S. zooepidemicus that matched isolates from two of the horses at the facility. They said the woman’s age and possible upper respiratory infection might have made her more vulnerable for invasive disease by S. zooepidemicus- See http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/zoonotic-infections/news/online/%7B3a92fc1f-94ce-4a16-9f59-1225489258c6%7D/woman-dies-after-contracting-s-zooepidemicus-from-horse

Zika Virus:

Florida 08/19/16 cdc.gov: Media Release – The Florida Department of Health has identified two areas of Miami-Dade County where Zika is being spread by mosquitoes. In addition to the previously identified area in the Wynwood neighborhood, there is now mosquito-borne spread of Zika virus in a section of Miami Beach. This guidance is for people who live in or traveled to the identified area of Miami Beach any time after July 14. This guidance also still applies for those who live in or traveled to the previously identified Wynwood area any time after June 15. These timeframes are based on the earliest time symptoms can start and the maximum 2-week incubation period for Zika virus. Pregnant women and their partners who are concerned about being exposed to Zika may want to consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County. – For complete release see http://www.cdc.gov/zika/intheus/florida-update.html

West Nile Virus (WNV):

Arizona 08/18/16 azcentral.com: Health officials say Maricopa County has reported its first two deaths this season from the West Nile virus. There have been 26 human cases of West Nile so far this season in Arizona’s most populous county. The two people who died both were over 50 years old — the age group most at risk for serious complications of West Nile virus. Last year, Maricopa County had 62 West Nile cases with two deaths. – For complete article see http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2016/08/18/2-deaths-from-west-nile-virus-in-maricopa-county-this-season/88967118/

08/18/16 whitecountynews.net:by Debbie Gilbert – A woman in the Sky Lake community in northern White County is receiving medical treatment after being bitten by a rabid cat on Saturday, Aug. 13. Sean Sullivan, White County environmental health manager, said the woman is an animal devotee who recently began feeding a stray cat that showed up near her home. “But after a day or two, it bit her,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think she had the cat long enough to know its normal behavior, so she may not have recognized symptoms of rabies.” He said the woman began receiving prophylactic medical treatment on Sunday, even before tests results were available, to prevent her from possibly developing rabies. Sullivan sent the cat’s remains to the Georgia Public Health Lab, but did not receive confirmation of rabies until Wednesday. On Thursday, he began posting signs in the Sky Lake area, alerting residents that there had been a rabies case in the vicinity. – See http://www.whitecountynews.net/breaking-news/rabid-cat-bites-woman-sky-lake

Georgia 08/17/16 http://wfxl.com/:by Kerri Copello – A case of rabies has been confirmed in the City of Cordele (Crisp County). The Cordele Police Department confirms that a stray kitten died suddenly and positively tested for rabies. The Cordele Police Department and animal control want to remind everyone of the importance of getting your pets vaccinated every year for rabies because it is the law. Sgt. Jeremy Taylor, with the Cordele Police Department, wants to remind people not to approach a stray animal. If citizens see strays, even baby animals, call The Cordele Police Department and let animal control pick them up. – See http://wfxl.com/news/local/kitten-tests-positive-for-rabies-in-cordele

South Carolina 08/18/16 indexjournal.com: Four people have started treatment after potentially being exposed to rabies by a pet cat with the disease in Troy, according to a release from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. The cat began to act irregularly Aug. 11 and died the next day, the release said. It was confirmed to have rabies Monday. The people were bitten or exposed to the cat’s saliva while trying to provide it with care. The cat is the fifth animal in Greenwood County to test positive for rabies this year. – See http://www.indexjournal.com/news/RABIES-ALERT–Cat-likely-exposes-four-people-to-disease-in-Greenwood-County-17841766

Idaho 08/13/16 http://idahostatejournal.com/: By Debbie Bryce – Quick thinking by an Eastern Idaho family most likely saved the life of their 4-year-old girl after she was snatched by a mountain lion during a family camping trip Friday, according to Idaho Department of Fish and Game. In a press release Saturday, Senior Conservation Officer Gregg Losinski said the incident occurred near Green Canyon Hot Springs east of Rexburg. Losinski said the family spotted the lion early Friday, which in itself is unusual. He said that when the cat appeared later in the evening and attempted to snatch the child, the family began yelling at the cougar, and it dropped the girl and fled. According to the family, the child sustained minor injuries in the attack. After the incident, the family packed up camp and took the child to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls to be examined. Jennifer Jackson with Idaho Fish and Game said mountain lion sightings are rare, and reports of attacks on humans are even more uncommon. – For complete article see http://idahostatejournal.com/members/family-saves–year-old-daughter-from-east-idaho-mountain/article_f74210ab-a124-5682-8cdb-9fec52839759.html

Black Bear Attack:

Canada:

British Columbia 08/14/16 ctvnews.ca: A 10-year-old girl walking with her father on a hiking trail in Port Coquitlam, B.C. on Saturday was attacked by a black bear that witnesses say tried to drag her off into the woods. The girl’s father and others successfully fought the bear off with rocks and sticks. She was rushed to hospital with critical injuries, according to a spokesperson for B.C. Ambulance Service. “It didn’t want to let go,” one witness told CTV Vancouver. “It pulled her into the bush and was trying to pull her further and people were whacking its head, eventually it let go but tried to bite her again.” The bear, which officials say was with its cub at the time, was later located by wildlife authorities and killed. Conservation officers tranquilized the nearby bear cub and said the animals were likely drawn to the area by the smell of garbage. It’s unclear what happened to the cub. – See http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/it-didn-t-want-to-let-go-girl-10-attacked-by-black-bear-in-b-c-1.3028064

North Carolina 08/12/16 wfmynews2.com: An 11-year-old Asheville boy is now recovering at Levine Children’s Hospital because of La CrosseEncephalitis. His mother says he could have died if it wasn’t caught soon enough. JJ Wise’s mother says he was playing outside, was bitten by a mosquito and quickly developed severe headaches that didn’t seem to go away with treatment. “They did some MRI’s, they did some more tests and they did another spinal tap on him,” said Kim Wise. Doctors eventually determined the boy was bitten by a mosquito infected by the La Crosse encephalitis virus. He was rushed to Charlotte and was hospitalized. Friday the family invited NBC Charlotte into the hospital to share his story. JJ suffered a stroke, which triggered speech issues and weakness. Now he’s learning to keep his balance while walking down the hallway. JJ says, “I’m good, I’m getting stronger and stronger.” He says he has a message for his friends back home. “I hope all of you are doing better and hopefully no mosquitoes bite you.” – For complete article see http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/health/north-carolina-boy-nearly-dies-from-mosquito-bite/296419115

Connecticut 08/10/16 http://wtnh.com/: Two people were attacked by a beaver on the Quinebaug River near the Pomfret/Killingly line. DEEP officials are warning swimmers and boaters to stay away from the area. “It appeared to be one animal that bit and injured two people,” said Dennis Schain the Communications Director with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Karen Greb and Gahrett Bond were attacked Monday evening as they were standing in the river.

Greb wrote in this Facebook post:

“Beavers do attack. I was swimming in the Quinebaug River just standing there when something clamped down on my rib cage. I shoved my hand in its mouth to get it to release me and tore the ligament in my thumb.”

Her boyfriend Gahrett Bond jumped in to help her and that’s when the beaver attacked Bond latching onto his leg.

“We did nothing to this beaver. But they do attack viciously just be careful. This is truly what nightmares are made of.”

The couple ended up in the hospital with serious injuries. “Both of them required them multiple stitches and we understand the woman who was attacked actually is going to need on surgery her hand. Depending on where you got bitten and how prolonged an attack was which is even rare to happen the injuries could be serious,” said Schain. As a precaution, the couple is undergoing treatment for rabies. “This attack was very unusual. Healthy beaver usually don’t go after people and beaver don’t often get infected with rabies,” said Schain. DEEP officials did encounter a beaver with aggressive behavior, but have been unable to capture the animal. – See http://wtnh.com/2016/08/10/beaver-attacks-two-people-on-the-quinebaug-river/

Coyote Attacks:

California 08/09/16 .latimes.com: by Erica Evans – Police have ordered the closure of a popular Montebello park and petting zoo after three people were attacked recently by coyotes. Although incidents of coyotes attacking small dogs and cats are a fact of life in Southern California, attacks on people are rare, and officials and neighbors alike expressed worry Tuesday over the animals’ brazen behavior. Two of the victims were forced to seek treatment for possible rabies infection. “People are not food for coyotes,” said Andrew Hughan, information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Generally, they’re afraid of us.” Wildlife personnel shot and killed four coyotes at Grant Rea Park Monday night and one more Tuesday evening, officials said. They also set up traps with bait but did not capture any animals that way. The park, a grassy recreational area that covers about one square mile at 600 Rea Drive, features a petting zoo filled with ducks, goats, donkeys, sheep and other animals, as well as a playground, several baseball diamonds and picnic tables. Officials ordered the park closed Monday night and said it will remain closed until the Department of Fish and Wildlife determines that it is safe for the public. The three victims — two men and a teenage girl — all suffered unprovoked attacks. – For complete article see http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coyote-attacks-20160809-snap-story.html

Pennsylvania 08/09/16 post-gazette.com: by Andrew Goldstein – A coyote that tested positive for rabies was shot and killed hours after it bit a man Monday night in Lincoln Borough, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. The coyote was shot Tuesday by officers with the Lincoln Police Department, the county said, and Pennsylvania Game Commission employees took its carcass to the health department lab, where it tested positive for rabies. The bite victim, who was identified only as an adult male, has already begun post-exposure treatment, the health department said. Even though the rabid coyote was killed, the health department warned that because coyotes are pack animals, others may be infected. – For complete article see http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2016/08/09/Coyote-tests-positive-for-rabies-after-attacking-Lincoln-man/stories/201608090198

Rhode Island 08/08/16 http://turnto10.com/news: by Jessica A. Botelho – A Warwick apartment complex is warning residents to be aware of coyotes after police said they received reports that a person was bitten in the area. “Over the last 24-48 hours, we have received multiple reports of coyotes approaching buildings, pets, and humans in the areas of buildings 1-8,” Cowesset Hills Management wrote in a letter to residents Monday. Cowesset Hills, which is located on Greenwich Bay at 3595 Post Road, also told NBC 10 News during a brief phone interview that management is working with Warwick police and environmental authorities “to resolve the issue as fast as possible.” Police confirmed that they received reports that a coyote bit someone at the complex on Sunday. Authorities said they were again called to the area on Monday, as a coyote was behaving erratically. According to police, the coyote was shot and killed as a result, and the Department of Environmental Management is investigating whether it was the same coyote. – For complete article see http://turnto10.com/news/local/person-reportedly-bitten-by-coyote-at-warwick-apartment-complex-authorities-say

West Nile Virus (WNV):

Colorado 08/11/16 denverpost.com: by John Ingold – Thirteen people in Colorado have tested positive for West Nile virus so far this year, including one who died from the disease, the Colorado Health Department announced Wednesday. Three of the cases were in Boulder County, according to a news release by that county’s public health department. The cases in Boulder County involved a 74-year-old woman, a 47-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy. None of the three were hospitalized. It is unclear where the other cases have been reported, and health officials would not release more information about the death. The first case of West Nile virus was reported this year in June in Larimer County, said Jennifer House, the state public health veterinarian. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in its announcement Wednesday that people, animals or mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile in 14 counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Gunnison, La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Morgan, Rio Blanco and Weld. – For complete article see http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/10/west-nile-cases-death-colorado/

National 08/08/16 seeker.com: Authors of a new study took a closer look at a puzzling circumstance in Georgia: low rates of human infection with the West Nile virus (WNV), even as about a third of Atlanta’s birds carry the disease. The same situation — many infected birds, not so many infected people — applied to the broader American southeast, a team of researchers from Emory University, Texas A&M, the University of Georgia and Georgia’s department of transportation noted. Indeed, they said, Georgia’s WNV infection rate, over the last 15 years, was only about 3 people per 100,000.

To try to shed light on the discrepancy, the scientists spent three years testing birds and mosquitoes for WNV in Atlanta, analyzing the blood of the insects to determine on which birds they had fed. The scientists were keeping a sharp eye for the number of American robin infections. They consider that species a “super spreader” of WNV, for its capacity to store enough of the virus in its blood to pass along to other mosquitoes. While robins were certainly carriers, the researchers found a twist in the tale, one concerning a favorite of backyard birders everywhere: the cardinal.

“What we found is that, for some unknown reason, around the middle of July, mosquitoes in Atlanta seem to decide that they have had their fill of robins and they switch to feeding on cardinals,” said the study’s lead author, Rebecca Levine, in a statement. “But cardinals, even though they can be infected with West Nile virus, are much less likely to have enough virus circulating in their blood to transmit the disease back to feeding mosquitoes,” said Levine, now with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but at Emory University during the research. “That is why we called them ‘super suppressors’.” . . . But, her team’s findings don’t suggest cardinals are a magic red bullet against WNV, Levine said. The birds might not have the same roles elsewhere, depending on the local ecosystems in which they live. Findings from the study have just been published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. – For complete article see http://www.seeker.com/cardinals-super-suppressors-of-west-nile-virus-1964581023.html

West Nile Virus (WNV):

California 08/05/16 mercurynews.com: by Tracy Seipel – California public health officials on Friday said that an elderly Sacramento County resident is the state’s first confirmed death from West Nile virus this year. No other information about the victim was provided. susceptible, as this unfortunate fatality illustrates,” Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health and the state’s health officer, said in a statement. “West Nile virus activity in the state is increasing, so I urge Californians to take every possible precaution to protect themselves against mosquito bites.” The state reported 53 deaths from West Nile virus in 2015, the most since California began recording West Nile cases in 2003. – For complete article see http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_30210998/sacramento-county-senior-citizen-is-californias-first-west

Puerto Rico 08/05/16 npr.org: by Jason Beaubien – The Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico is expanding rapidly. Recently, the island has been reporting more than a thousand new cases of Zika each week. The situation is expected to get worse before it gets better. “We are right now probably in the month or 6 weeks of peak transmission,” saysTyler Sharp the lead epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Zika operation in Puerto Rico. Previous outbreaks of dengue fever and chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same mosquito as Zika, Aedes aegypti, suggest the hot, wet summer months in Puerto Rico now are just right for Zika to flourish, Sharp says. “The more rains you get, the more mosquitoes you get. The more mosquitoes, the higher the rate of transmission,” he says. “And also the mosquitoes like warmer temperatures and are able to replicate the virus more efficiently at at least slightly higher temperatures.” He calls August in Puerto Rico the “Goldilocks zone” for Zika virus replication. The island has already had more than 8,000 confirmed cases of Zika. The CDC predicts that by the end of the year, 20 percent to 25 percent of the roughly 3.5 million people on the island could be infected with the virus. – For complete article see http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/08/05/488864340/zika-cases-surge-in-puerto-rico-as-mosquitoes-flourish

Hantavirus:

Utah 08/09/16 utahcountyonline.org: Media Release – Utah County Health Department (UCHD) officials are investigating the death of a female UtahCounty resident related to hantavirus. The female was between the ages of 18 – 44, from Utah County, and had no other apparent health issues. This is the second death related to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the state in 2016, and tenth case since 2006. Hantavirus infection is a virus transmitted by infected rodents through fresh urine, droppings or saliva. The main way the virus is spread to people is when they breathe in the air contaminated with the virus. Other transmissions can include an infected rodent biting a person, touching objects or eating food contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva from an infected rodent. – For complete release see http://www.utahcountyonline.org/dept2/health/UtahCountyHantavirusDeath2016Aug9.pdf

Rabies:

Pennsylvania 08/05/16 wearecentralpa.com: A cat in Huntingdon County has tested positive for Rabies. We’re told a family in who lives on Metztown Road in Brady Township took their unvaccinated farm cat to a veterinary clinic after they say it started to act restless and panting. The veterinary told them to keep the cat contained, but the next day the cat escaped the enclosure they had it in and bit a child. At that point the cat was euthanized and submitted for rabies tests. They came back positive. Several people are receiving post exposure treatment for rabies. – See http://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/cat-tests-positive-for-rabies

South Carolina 08/05/16 wyff4.com/ : At least five people were potentially exposed to rabies by a puppy that tested positive for the disease in Chesnee, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today. The puppy was a Germany Shepherd-mix puppy that was being sold at Burr’s Trading Post on Old Stage Road, June 20 from an individual not affiliated with the store. The puppy began to show neurological symptoms at the end of July, and was submitted to DHEC’s laboratory for testing on Aug. 1. DHEC said several other puppies were for sale. DHEC recommends that anyone who obtained or was exposed to a puppy there around this time should watch the animal for signs and symptoms of rabies and immediately seek veterinary care if the animal becomes ill. – See http://www.wyff4.com/news/upstate-dog-potentially-exposes-at-least-5-people-to-rabies-dhec-says/41072124

Jerry Genesio

Author of "UNSEEN HAZARDS That Threaten Hunters, Campers, and Hikers: What you should know about pathogens commonly found in wildlife."

This is where wildlife and healthcare professionals, hunters, campers, hikers, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts will find interesting information about natural unseen hazards that place them at risk. As my book focused exclusively on Rabies, Tetanus (Lockjaw), Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Brucellosis (Undulant Fever), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Borrelia (Lyme Disease), posts regarding these six diseases will be limited to more recent developments and items of interest that were not included or were not available when the book was published in June of 2009. Topics will also include Chronic Wasting Disease, West Nile Virus, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and other diseases of particular interest to those who work and play in the great American outdoors.

Don’t Be Afraid – Be Aware!

The Natural Unseen Hazards blog is available to all free of charge and is maintained as a public service.

If you have questions related to pathogens commonly found in wildlife, e.g. the disease caused by a specific pathogen, hosts, vectors, symptoms, treatment, territorial range, etc., please comment here or e-mail to jerrygenesio@gmail.com and I will attempt to provide answers.

"Chance favors the prepared mind."
Louis Pasteur

Unless otherwise noted, images have been provided by the CDC Public Health Image Library, Wikimedia Commons, the National Park Service or other government agencies, Bing.com, and/or Google.com.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
Marie Curie

"It's better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret."
Jackie Joyner Kersee